Week of 9-11-2023

Inside this issue

• PSEA VP Jeff Ney urges legislators to get the lead out of our schools’ water
• Register for NEA student debt repayment seminar TONIGHT
• Thank you for all your wonderful classroom setup photos
• PSEA member spotlight: Brandyn Miller
• Upcoming Center for Professional Learning events and PEARL

At the state Capitol on Wednesday, Jeff Ney joined Environment America and AFTPA to call on elected officials in Pennsylvania to do better when it comes to protecting kids from lead in the water at their schools.

Sadly, our state was one of 26 that received an “F” grade on an Environment America report that was released in February. From better, more transparent testing to replacing old pipes to water filtration systems, there is much more our legislators could be doing to protect our school communities from lead-tainted water. It’s time for them to act.

Federal student loan payments are set to resume on Oct 1.

Are you ready?

Join NEA student debt experts TONIGHT at 7 p.m. EST for a webinar on the steps to take to prepare for the resumption of student loan payments.

There are several steps each person with student loans will need to take to prepare to restart their payments. NEA’s student debt experts are here to help educators through each step of the process, from connecting with your servicer to ensuring you are enrolled in the best Income Driven Repayment Plan.

Get expert advice on preparing for payment resumption during our upcoming webinar.

We asked PSEA members to submit all the ways they’ve been preparing their schools and classrooms to welcome back students. And you delivered big time this year.

Look for a spread of some of our favorites in the September issue of Voice magazine. In the meantime, click the link below to scroll through this year’s slideshow and see what other resources we put together for our annual back to school celebration.

Brandyn Miller, a business and computer science teacher in the Palmerton Area School District, teaches high school students how to produce newscasts for the morning announcements as part of a Digital Media Productions class.

“Our school underwent remodeling that provided us with a newsroom studio and production room,” Miller said.

Students study the mechanics of the studio by rotating positions that mirror a standard newsroom setting such as an anchor, director, and editor. The class is supported by the Video Club which gathers additional footage of after-school events that is used in daily newscasts.

“They take on the entirety of every newscast,” he said. “From hunting down a newsworthy topic to editing the transition graphics, students own every step of the process.”

The hands-on experience students are receiving is opening doors to what the broadcast journalism field has to offer. Some students have already put their new skills to the test.

“Four of my digital media students participated in a Future Business Leaders of America broadcast journalism competition,” Miller said. “They were able to take the skills they learned from class and compete against their peers.”

“Watching them put stories together from start to finish is amazing,” Miller said. “I’m amazed to see how well they have done and what the class has learned together.”

PEARL

Looking for a convenient and flexible way to earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits? As a PSEA member, you have exclusive access to over 95 courses through PEARL.

Here are just three of the courses you have access to:

• Multi-sensory Learning Using Arts Integration
• Can you Hear Us Now? Using Podcasts to Teach and Entertain
• Leveling Up Google Slides for Seesaw and Google Classroom

Webinars

• Student Performance Measures (SLOs 2.0)
  • Sept. 21, 7-8:30 p.m.
• Toolkit and Resources to Help Early Career Educators
  • Sept. 26, 7-8 p.m.
• Educator Evaluation: Navigating the Policy
  • Oct. 3, 7-8:30 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Time to Roll
  
  • Oct. 17, 7-8 p.m.
• The Introverted Educator
  
  • Oct. 26, 7-8 p.m.
• The New Classroom Instruction That Works: The Best Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, Part 1, Chapters 1-4
  
  • Nov. 8, 7-8 p.m.

Postgraduate Credits

Earn postgraduate credits from PennWest University for $70 each!

More than 150 postgraduate credits are available across a wide range of teaching and learning topics.

These postgraduate credits (microcredentials) can count toward the 24 credits required for a Level II certificate and also may count toward salary advancement.*

For support professionals, these courses may meet Chapter 14 requirements.**

*Check your contract to determine if you can apply standalone postgraduate credits for column movement.
**Seek approval from your employer prior to completing hours to apply toward Chapter 14 requirements.